welcome to nhk world "newsline." north korean leaders appear to be moving ahead with plans to launch a rocket later this month. they say it will carry a satellite into space, but south korean officials say engineers in the north have actually built a long range ballistic missile. they say crews added a third and final section at a facility and officials in seoul say workers have not injected fuel yet. authorities say the launch will happen between the 10th and 22nd of this month.

the plan has alarmed people in neighboring countries. senior officials have met with their u.s. counterparts to coordinate their response. south korea's chief nuclear negotiator and the head of the japanese foreign ministries headed to washington. they met with u.s. special representative on north korea, glen davies. they will continue diplomatic efforts until the last minute. >> translator: we also agreed that the international community should take firm action if north korea goes ahead with the launch. >> sugiyama said he hopes to visit beijing to discuss the matter with chinese officials. >> they're ignored warnings over the year when they went ahead with a launch that ended in failure. covering the korean peninsula, we see why leaders in the north are pushing ahead despite opposition.

>> reporter: the ballistic missile launch will be the second since kim jong-un took power a year ago. it will use the same launch pad, a site in the northwestern part of the country. before the first testing, officials said the three-stage rocket was meant to carry a satellite. but japan and the u.s. and south korea said the launch was about a missile test. the launch was a missile test. the test ended in failure with a rocket exploding in mid-air two minutes after. it fell into more than ten pieces and fell into the ocean.

analysts say the leader wants to collect his failures before the first anniversary of his father's death on december 17th. kim may be trying to consolidate his power by showing dedication. kim has also vowed to develop north korea's economy. >> translator: we must stop on a part of industrial revolution for the new century and make north korea a great economic power. >> there no tangible signs of improvement. the u.n. program said 16 million north koreans or nearly 70% of the population suffer from malnutrition. north korea's relations with the outside world are at a stand still. last february the united states agreed to provide food aid in

exchange for being free of the ballistic missile tests. the deal was welcome after the north tested a missile. north korea's leadership has been trying to hold talks with the united states, but officials in washington said they are not ready to accept. china is also applying pressure on its neighbor. arguing that the missile launch could violate u.n. resolutions. nhk world. >> the professor is an expert on the korean peninsula. i spoke with him to get more insight into the korean missile launch. i started with asking him the intention of north korea. >> the mostortant thing for pong i don't think is to appeal or to empathize with their own rights or so they said the most independent sovereign ty is the

most important point. peaceful use of the nuclear energy and the other is the peaceful use for outer space. actually using outer space with the launch and show you the time of december. a little bit before december, south korea had time launch their own satellite. they delayed the launch and during the preparation, no one complained. no one criticized. whenever north korea did something with the missile launch, anyone in the international community cannot accept it. therefore some of them admit that north korea has a right to launch missiles into outer space.

>> we are talking about two missiles. plus it's december, not the best of months. >> that's right. yeah. it's a quite unusual one. they strongly indicated that the 100 day hold to succeed, but they understand about the product because in the winter time and using the fuel is quite unstable and weather conditions are not so good. >> despite that they are willing to take the risk. >> that's right. yes because again -- the independent sovereignty are quite important. they are much more precious than

the peace. even though they are 100 today, things are highly likely to fail. maybe it's not proven. the un secretary general ban ki-moon has urged ministers in around the world to work harder and faster to reach an agreement on combatting climate change. the delegates are meeting at a conference in qatar.

delegates are deadlocked over finances. developing nations are calling on trialize -- industrializes countries to help stop global warming. some fear the decisions could spoil discussions to replace the kyoto protocol. a delegate said financial support to protect the lives of the people there is indispensable. >> we don't have the resources to deal with climate change. and financing is part of our survivability. we need finance to survive. people are dealing with the aftermath of hurricane bofa.

the powerful storm made landfall tuesday on mindenow island. gale forces battered villages and uncontrolled flooding. 214 people died on the island. survivors had to pick their way through fallen vegetation to get to higher ground. tens of thousands of residents are crammed into shelters. they're also delivering food and relief supplies. typhoon bofa has now left the philippines, it's heading northwest after passing over palowan island. we'll find out more during our weather. local police have arrested a former employee on suspicion of arson, the fire broke out in an

underwear factory on tuesday afternoon. about 200 square meters of the billing were burned. in addition to the 14 dead, one worker was seriously injured. local media says a 26-year-old man from kunan province is suspected of starting the fire in the factory. labor disputes occur frequently in the manufacturing industry in china and many garment factors are concentrated in the southern region. but this case has received lots of media coverage in china. chinese intellectuals are calling for the release of peace prize lawyer yet from prison. the letter was posted online on tuesday to mark the second anniversary of him receiving the peace prize in 2010. the letter calls for the release

of other political prisoners as well. it also urging the release of his wife from house arrest. the charges against lu includes his criticism of one-party rule and his involvement in 1989 pro democracy protests. one of the authors of the letter hope it will boost momentum to encourage democracy in china. a group of nobel l aurks, reattes. . people around the world are worried about global warming, but there is at least win

industry making the most of a bad situation. melted ice in the arctic ocean is allowing a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas to become the first of its kind to cross from norway to japan. it arrived in western japan carrying 60,000 tons of lmg. they bought the lmg from a firm related to russian state controlled gas company. the tanker left a port in northern norway early last month. it then sailed through the arctic ocean along the russian coast and through the bearing strait. the route opened up as ice melted due to global warming. the distance is two-thirds that of the regular path which passes through the suez canal in egypt. the arctic route will enable japan to increase it's lgm

imports and diversify it's lgm imports, cutting the energy dependence on the middle east, but challenges remain, including cost problems. it have russian government is making it a requirement for tankers that follow that route to use russian ice breakers. it's not only natural gas, the japanese are looking to other energy sources to replace nuclear power after last year's nuclear disaster. an exhibition featuring the latest using solar powered technology has begun near tokyo. about 200 companies are taking part from japan, china and germany and several other countries. demand is growing in japan has power companies are now required to purchase renewable energy. but japanese solar makers lag behind overseas competitors in terms of profitability. this is one of the exhibitors. the japanese company is displaying solar panels with the world's highest level of power efficiency. it's trying to make a profit by selling solar panels as well as the electricity it generates. sharp is exhibiting a new product which is a combination of window glass and a solar

battery. although it can be used on homes and office windows, it can generate only half the power of a regular solar panel. more people in japan are planning to travel during the coming year end holidays. they're planning to travel for the first time in two years. this is due to the calendar that lets people take up to nine straight days. more than 30 million people have made reservations for either domestic or overseas trips from december 23 to november 3. reservations for overseas travel rose for the second time. the number of people planning to visit europe rose nearly 14%.

the number of domestic travelers also increased by 1.3%. trips to the tokyo area are expected to rise nearly 2%. the capital's new landmark, tokyo's sky tree tower and the renovated tokyo station are expected to be tourist spots. judges on the tokyo district court ruled the government must pay compensation for worker who is suffer health problems due to exposure to asbestos. the plaintiffs claim the workers inhaled asbestos at building sites causing them to develop lung cancer and other illnesses. the presiding judge said the government didn't do enough to protect workers for the risks posed by asbestos. he said it should have ordered

contractors to ensure workers more dusk masks and impose a penalty for violations. the court ordered the government to pay $13 million in damages to 170 former workers for their bereaved families. in all more than 600 plaintiffs across joop japan have filed lawsuits against the government, claiming damages for asbestos. the japanese government outlawed asbestos in principle in 1975, but it didn't fully prohibit production and sale of the product until 2004. the plaintiffs argument the government should have banned asbestos after 1972 when the world health organization declared it to be cancer causing. members of japan's coast guard are warning their fleets are being stretched to a breaking point. crews have been working overtime, patrolling around the always that japan controls but chesapeake and taiwan claim. on top of the monitoring of

countries in the territorial waters and being on stand by for salvage and disaster operations, our team and western japan shows us, aging coast guard ships can't keep up. >> it controls the sea of japan. the coast guard ship is on the prefecture on the sea of japan. she's a large vessel, 78 meters long. after 32 years on the job, she is showing her age. the coast guard would like to replace each of its 120 vessels every 25 years but about three out of ten have been in service longer than that. with the yearly budget of $2.2 billion, the coast guard can't afford to replace old ships at the rate it would like, so they keep the ships going with makeshift repairs. >> translator: we have to deal with leaky fuel pipes.

steam and seawater are always a problem. my crew is constantly running around, dealing with the problems. >> and in ships like these, crews must deal with the senkaku crisis. after the government bought several islands in september, chinese vessels stepped up incursions into japan's territorial waters. japan's coast guard answered by rotating vessels to the island from around the country. their mission is a 24-hour watch over japan's islands and warding off intruders. they did a two-week stent in september, but the pace of the mission strained the aging ship. when pipes sprung leaks, the crew had to plug them with cement. otherwise the propeller would

have heated up. in the engine room the crews plugged the leaks with bicycle tire tubes. >> translator: as the ship gets old, pipes rust and explode. in the worst case, a ship can be flooded. >> both should ideally be repaired in dry dock, but for this, there is no time. >> normally the ship would hav to undergo regular overhauls. we are giving priority to the parts that affect the safety of the crew. that's where we focus our efforts. >> reporter: in late october, the chiefs of japan's 11 coast guard headquarters gathered in tokyo. the senior officers stressed that a prolonged mission at the islands would cause other problems. rescue operations and other patrols would be affected. >> translator: our ships are

being rotated more due the senkaku islands and other missions and that wears down the vessels even faster. we want to upgrade equipment soon. for example, replacing old patrol ships with high performance vessels. we will be working as fast as possible to improve our readiness. >> the government responded by earmarking $210 million for three new ships and equipment. but chinese vessels keep up the pressure near the senkaku islands and the dispute looks like it could drag on and that puts more burden on the aging ship and stressed out crews. lawmakers in the u.s. senate have offered japanese officials reassurance on the senkaku islands.

the sena they unanimously im -- approved a key defense bill saying the territory is covered by the u.s.-japan security treaty. the senate approved the authorization act for fiscal 2013 and sets the framework for the defense budget and has been amended to state the u.s. acknowledges they administer the senkaku island and states they take no official position on the sovereignty of the territory. the bill also reaffirms the u.s. commitment to japan under article five of the bilateral security treaty. that part of the treaty says the american military will defend japan in the event of an attack. the senate stance is identical to thest u.s. government's official position on the senkaku islands. analysts say the bill could send a strong message to the government on this issue. as we mentioned earlier the typhoon that hit the philippines is taking a toll. rachel ferguson is here with the details. >> hi. yes. bopha is now located to the west of the philippines, having moved

across the islands. it's still a typhoon, so still a very potent system. winds are sustained at 126 with gusts at 180. so it hasn't changed much recently. it's heading up to the south china sea where it's likely to linger for the next couple of days. its very difficult to see what this storm is going to do, but we will keep a close eye on it. it's still a very powerful system. across the north you're seeing heavy rain continue here. this is because the system is pulling in moisture from the north. but down to the south where the devastation occurred, it is going to be a lot drier, and certainly the winds have died down. so that's good news for the rescue and recovery effort that will be continuing through the next few days. there's another low pressure system headed up it. it will be bringing more snow and really strong winds. winds gusting up to 160 miles per hour.

so certainly travel will be dangerous. down towards the west of japan on the sea of japan's side of the country, about 30 centimeters of snow is possible. anywhere you're seeing in the purple to the north, about 50 centimeters is likely. there are warm winds coming up along the pacific edge, and than snow for eastern hokkaido. that can mean flooding and mud and landslides. that will be a concern into thursday. temperatures will not be too bad around the region. tokyo at 16. that's because of their warmer winds i was talking about coming up along the pacific edge. but very cold and so minus 4 for the high. shanghai at 1 degree on your thursday. europe is looking messy. the snow is really causing problems in central europe and further out to the west over the british isles. a lot of low pressure systems

dotted around and it's still frigid. the cold air right down to the mediterranean. so plenty of snow is available. down to the southeast, it's going to be rain rather than snow. heavy rain heading into turkey could cause flash flooding problems. and in fact, the black sea region has been stormy recently. i want to show you video from tuesday. this is showing you what happened when a cargo ship was brought in due to engine malfunction. two other incidents off the turkish coast left two dead and 12 missing, according to coastal authorities. one of the boats sank. this was a rescue boat caught in the rough seas there. when stormy conditions like this happen, usually the sea is closed to traffic. yet on tuesday it remained open, and that's the picture that we see there. certainly it's going to be very stormy once again.

another low heading into the black sea region. out towards the west we've got two new lows coming into the british isles and down to the peninsula. temperatures are set up like this, a lot of temperatures around the freezing points from the highs in the south down to athens. here's your extended forecast.

that an endangered albatross has laid an egg on the new breeding site. it's located about 1,000 kilometers south of tokyo. researchers carefully checked the video footage of the egg, it

was spotted under the male albatross. an id tag can be seen on the leg of the male bird. the footage was captured by remote controlled cameras. they expect the egg to hatch in about two months. the pair of birds were found -- or were fed by humans, they were expected to lay eggs this year for the first time. >> i have always thought the albatro albatrosses could lay their eggs at the end of this year, we're very excited this happened. >> the bird is a government designated natural treasure. >> we will be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.

have a great day wherever you are.